PURE SPACE presents the case for
public space creation in informal settlements through the analysis
of 21 interventions in barrios of Valparaiso Chile, Rio de Janeiro
Brazil, Medellin Colombia, Guayaquil Ecuador, Lima Peru and Caracas
Venezuela. Most of the projects have never been published, in part
because they were not resolved with a primary concern for design,
at least in the most conventional sense of its role. Their merit
lies in the fact that they effectively justified an economic and
community investment in public space, while responding to the
implicit social challenges associated with their implementation.
These experiences have produced practical knowledge that can be
channeled toward supporting and increasing the occurrence of public
space investment in barrios. They also argue for an expanded agency
of the design profession, where the coupling of creative capacities
with public space investment can instigate lasting social
transformation and generate key benefits for urban
environments.

In addition, the following were
supporters of this project research: Juventud Sucre;
Municipality of Sucre Caracas, Venezuela; City of Rio de Janeiro;
UPP Social; City of Guayaquil, direction of urban development; City
of Medellín; Programa Buen Comienzo; EDU Empresa de Desarrollo
Urbano; Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín.